Caught in the Crossfire
by KaimelarTheDreamer
Summary: Cobra Commander has just gone to far. Kidnapping and killing innocent children in order to test his new serum, he comes across a young girl named Samantha, who will now use everyone of her nine lives to take Cobra down. With a little help from the Joes.
1. Chapter 1:The Beginning of an Evil Plot

**Me: I am sorry if the first few chapters of this story are boring, but they are all part of the necessary set up for the main plot of the story. If you stay loyal to the story, you will see how this all fits in. I do not own G.I. Joes.**

Chapter 1: The Beginning of an Evil Plot

Cobra Commander P.O.V.

"Is the serum completed?" I demanded from the quivering soldier in front of me.

"Yes-yes sir." He stammered out. "But-but there were a few complications."

"What complications?" I growled, half rising out of my throne.

"We-we don't know if it'll work, possible side effects, and if-if it's possible for someone to-to survive for the full effect to take place." His knees were now knocking against one another, threatening to buckle under the weight of fear he had when in my presence. I could barely keep in a chuckle, one of the perks of being the most evil and well-known villains, was causing your men to shake in fear.

"So, let's test it on some of the men."

"We can't sir."

"Why not?"

"Because we live in such close one living quarters to one another that if any of the side effects are contagious, it will wipe out every soldier in this Cobra base." He explained trying to stand up correctly.

That would be a problem. If all my men died, who would I use to defeat those insufferable G.I. Joes? I pressed my hands neatly together in front of me as I considered the options. Then something I had being thinking of early before this soldier had interrupted my thoughts popped in to my head. It would be killing two birds with one stone. "Is that base located in New York still operational?"

"Yes-yes sir."

"Set up some quarantine tube cells. And print out our list of people that we want to suffer." I chuckled. "I have an evilly delicious plan for them. They will be our guinea pigs, or at least, their children."

Samantha P.O.V.

It was period 2, English 1 Honors, the teacher was going on about how Shakespeare was a one of a kind writer and how he used so many literary terms and that he created so many of our popular expressions that we use today. I had finished my classwork and homework ten minutes ago, and class had only started fifteen minutes ago. Sometimes I hated being so smart; things academically were way too easy for me. Even shooting ten hoops in a row was harder than this. My best friend right next to me, Stacy, slipped a note onto my desk. _Done already?_

_Yep. _I wrote back.

_Good thing it's a Friday, eh?_ I could practically hear her little giggle she does whenever she teases me about being so smart.

_Yeah. Can't wait for our sleepover tonight. You sure your parents are okay with you ditching sixth period?_

She rolled her eyes as she read he note.

_Hey, I'm not the smart one whose parents are so strict she can't even go to her own basketball game without adult supervision. _I blew my untamable Siamese colored and patterned hair out of my face. I had died my hair like that since fifth grade, I had always loved cats, and ever since someone said cats were just plain evil, so I decided to dye my a recognizable cat fur pattern. The fact that my hair looked like a lion's wild mane was just a coincidence.

"Ahem." Said a voice above my head.

"Yes Mrs. Aquia?"

"Must I read your notes aloud, or will you answer the question?"

"I don't have anything to hide in my notes, no secrets whatsoever, but I'll give that question ago. So, what was it?"

"What's a common literary term used in Shakespeare's work that shows a character's confusion or conflictions?" She smirked, her tight bun standing as straight as ever. She always loved to embarrass her students, especially the ones who didn't pay attention in class, namely me. She thought she had me caught.

I sighed, this was way too easy. "The literary term Shakespeare uses to show a character's confusion or confliction is an oxymoron." I replied using a complete sentence, just the way she likes it.

"Excellent Ms. Callaway. But do try focusing in class from now on." She stiffly walked away, ashamed of being stood up by a mere freshman. Stacy chuckled.

"She looks like she sat on a porcupine." She whispered to me.

I giggled. "You're right."

Three class periods and a twenty minute walk home later, we arrived at my comfortably large house. "Hey sweetie." My mom cooed as we walked into the kitchen. "How was school?"

"Great. We managed to get Mrs. Aquia's bun twisted the wrong way again." Stacy and I couldn't help but giggle as we sat down at our small, round dining room table.

"What did you two do this time?" She tried to sound like she was scolding us. Emphasis on tried. She knew that Mrs. Aquia was just one of those teachers who were out to get the student they absolutely had no reason to dislike.

"Nothing Mrs. Callaway." Stacy giggled. "Samantha just answered another question that was meant to catch her off guard right."

"So a thirteen year old freshman wasn't paying attention, was asked a question, and got it right again, standing the teacher up?" My mother summarized in one question. Yes, I was a thirteen year old freshman. I skipped a grade because I was so smart. Did I mention I was smart?

"Yep." I smirked. "Whatcha baking?" I asked, trying to get a better look at whatever she was stirring.

"Well, while you and Stacy's meat lover's pizza was in the oven, I thought I would make that desert that you to love from Applebee's. I think it's called the Triple Chocolate Meltdown." At that sentence, Stacy and I pretended to feint. The Triple Chocolate Meltdown was our coveted desert favorite at Applebee's, I mean who can go wrong with hot chocolate fudge, stuffed in a chocolate cake with French vanilla ice cream on the side? You can't. There's your answer.

"So, where's dad?"

"He's at work still. He was held up with more paper work." Her face lost its usual cheerful hue as she turned away from us. She never liked this subject, especially since dad still got blackmail mail from Cobra. He had quit his job there when he realized what Cobra real mission was. He originally thought that Cobra was an organization that tried making antidotes to snake bites work faster or to invent antidotes for snake venom that didn't have an antidote, so, when his brother died of a Zebra Cobra's snake bite, he signed up to work there as a research scientist, even though he had a degree in anatomy, and not snakes. Though being an expert in anatomy would help. But he soon figured out that they were a terrorist organization bent on ruling the world. When he had quit, and managed to get away from Cobra alive, they had vowed to find him and make him suffer. That was fourteen years ago. They had just recently found out where he worked, and it was only a matter of time 'til they found out where we lived.

"There was more blackmail today? Wasn't there?" I asked cautiously, as the once cheery room became a gloomy one.

She sighed as she put the bowl down. "You know he doesn't like us talking about that, he's promised that this will all work out in the end, and your father always keeps his promises."

"But-"At that moment my six year old brother, Jason walked into the room, dropping his backpack on the ground. My mother gave me that look that said to act like normal, and then began to cheerily sing as she continued her cooking.

I did the most usual thing I do when my brother comes home from school. I ran and picked him up, spinned him around, set him down, and then I rubbed his short blond hair. "What's up sport? How was school?"

His sky blue eyes twinkled with excitement as he broke into a wide grin and then ran over to his backpack lying on the floor to fish out a piece of paper. He held it up for me to see. "I got a hundred percent on my addition and subtraction test, see? I'm gonna be as smart as you one day." I ruffled his air once again.

"You sure are Jason." I said with a big grin. I loved my brother. He meant the world to me, and more. Unlike most siblings, we got along, laughed, and played together. At that moment, my father stormed into the house.

"Stacy, you have to leave. Mary, Samantha, and Jason, pack our bags, but only the bare necessities. We are leaving now." We all stood up in an instant.

"Why? What's wrong?" My mother asked.

"I can't explain right now. We have to leave now."

"No. You will explain now. You will explain to Stacey why she is being kicked out of our house so suddenly when we have been planning this sleep over for months! You will explain to me why we are leaving so quickly and with only bare necessities." I forced out. I put on my best stubborn look. I was not going anywhere until I was given an explanation and my father knew it.

He sighed. "Today there was no blackmail, only a single letter that said, "We're coming." I don't know how soon, but I know that they will come. That's why we have to leave now." His voice had a strong sense of urgency in it.

"Fine, fine I'll pack my bags. Come on Stacey. You can help me pack as we say our goodbye." Just then our house shook and the kitchen wall came tumbling down, nearly crushing me and Stacey. And before my dad could ask if we were all right, several men came dressed in blue with a red Cobra insignia came charging through the hole in the wall.

"We have a door you know!" I yelled at them from where I laid on the floor, my legs were pinned under some rubble, in a sitting position; I started to move the rubble of my legs.

One of the men spotted me. "There's the girl the Commander wants." He said as he pointed at me. Three men roughly picked me up and started to drag me away as the other four held my family back.

"Wait! Why do you want me? Where are you taking me? Daddy! Help me! Please Daddy!" I cried as I tried to tug myself away from the men.

"Don't worry Kit-kat,"My dad called, using his favorite nickname for me. "I'll save you." A soldier gave him a shove back.

"No you won't old man. In fact, you'll never see your precious daughter alive again. You'll only see her cold, lifeless corpse." And with that, the soldier threw me into a portable prison-like cage that was on one of the tanks they had used to bust down the wall, and drove away from my home, my family, and my happiness.


	2. Chapter 2: The Snake Bites

**I do not own G.I. Joe.**

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Chapter 2: The Snake Bites

Cobra Commander P.O.V.

Dr. Rufus Callaway's work could have made this process a whole lot easier on the both of us, but I think I prefer it this way; it's a lot more fun. Dr. Callaway was one of the best experts on anatomy, and probably could've pointed out how the serum would've reacted in a human's system, or vice versa. But unfortunately, when Dr. Callaway quit and successfully escaped my grasp, his research and notes went with him. I vowed to make him suffer, and once we located the place where he worked, I sent him threats that if he didn't keep quiet, people he loved would suffer too.

I had originally thought about taking him instead of his daughter, but what better way to make a man suffer than to take away something he loves the most and is the most desperate to protect. It could not be someone to young otherwise we would not get the proper results and data to collect, and it could not be his wife, she did not have the stamina to survive the testing, the only one left had been his only daughter, Samantha Rosia Callaway. She was a child prodigy. She had skipped eighth grade and was preparing to skip ninth grade. She had perfect attendance and perfect scores her entire life! Also, she was the star player on the volleyball, soccer, track and field, gymnastics team, martial arts class, and basketball. Not only was this child smart, she was at her physical peak! She was also at a close enough age for the testing to get the proper results and data. And her kidnapping, and most likely, death, would make her father suffer quite a bit, not enough for me to stop there, but enough for now.

I was sitting in the control room, waiting for my prize to be brought in. I looked gleefully down at the quarantine cubicles that surrounded the base of the control room. Most already had occupants, and a few of those occupants had been tested. The occupants that had been tested had all been failures. Each one of them had received an unpleasant side effect and, however different each side effect was, it was killing each and every one of them, slowly but surely.

_Knock knock_

"Who is it?" I snapped.

"It's us Commander, with your extra special prisoner right here." A soldier responded.

I grinned. "Excellent, excellent, please bring her in!" The brought in a young lady that was approximately five foot eight, very skinny, pale complexion, slim features, high cheek bones, Siamese fur patterned hair, and the most startling sky blue eyes that looked like they could see right through me, straight to my dirty, wicked soul. She was a tad ruffled, as shown by the messy hair, ruffled blue t-shirt, and dirt covered black skinny jeans. She glared at me with undisguised hatred and disgust.

"You better be careful with this one Commander, she's quite feisty." One of the soldiers joked, probably a new-be (the more experienced ones knew better than to joke like that around me), and went to stroke the bottom of her chin with his index finger. And as quick as a lightning bolt, Samantha bit down on his finger, hard. "Ouch!" he cried, shaking his hand and splattering droplets of blood across the floor and his uniform. He quickly stuck his still gloved hand in his mouth and sucked on it. "See what I mean?" He said around his hurt finger as he glared at the girl.

"She's been fighting us the whole way." The other soldier reported. "Took us about fifteen minutes just in order to take her out of the tank."

"Such a perfect specimen. Is she alright?" I asked as I stooped to the level the girl had doubled over, the only thing keeping her up was the soldiers that were holding her rope bound hands. But faster than I could say "Those blasted Joes.", she had brought her right knee up and into every male's weakness. I fell up to my knees and looked up at her, glaring at her, even though she couldn't see it through this blasted metal mask. The next thing she did surprised me even more, she went and spit on my face mask.

"You insufferable whelp!" Destro yelled as he made his presence known in the room. He raised his hand as to back hand the girl across the face.

"No Destro, wait." I said as I sorely got up. He gave me a weird look. "We don't want the perfect test subject to be ruined, do we?" Destro grinned.

"You'll wish the beating you was what we were planning to do to you by the time we're done with you."

Samantha P.O.V.

"You'll wish the beating you was what we were planning to do to you by the time we're done with you." Destro said, grinning like the Cheshire cat.

I almost shivered in fear at the thought of what they could and would do to me, but thought better of it and instead I chose to continue my glare every person in the room. "What do you mean? Why am I the perfect test subject?"

"Good question my dear, and it's always best to start from the beginning." He hissed as he paced to the front of the control room where everything in the base could be seen, and I was dragged along. My hands hurt from where the rope was causing a rope burn. "You see, your father signed up for a job as a scientist here before you were born-"

'Yeah, yeah, I know this story all ready. He didn't realize you were actually terrorists and quit when he did find out and now your seeking you revenge on him." I snapped, trying to sound braver than I felt.

"That's not the full story my dear, you're father never actually found out what his true project had been. He was supposed to work on a super soldier serum, a serum that was supposed to give whoever was injected with it the qualities of whatever animal's DNA were mixed in with that batch of serum." I looked at him in horror. I saw where this was heading all too fast. "You my dear, have no imperfections, unlike the ones who already have been tested."

"What happened to them?" I gulped.

"Well, they're either dead or dying." I was fell silent, I felt numb, but could still faintly hear what the people around me were saying.

"Any orders Commander?" The older soldier asked.

"Yes, as soon as you dropped her off in her cell, take a piece of her hair and take it to the cloning station. If she survives the testing, we still want her to appear dead to her family. Make sure she is one of the last ones to be tested, I want the serum to be as close to be perfected when it's her turn. If she is a success, she will be the perfect soldier." Commander Cobra ordered.

"Yes sir!" the soldiers replied and they dragged me out the door. The dragged me across the catwalk and into an elevator that would take us to the quarantine cell levels.

As we passed some cells on the way to mine, a strange figure shoved against the small square window that was in the upper part of the door, and pounded against the glass. I tripped over my feet when I saw the details, it was a human with grey skin, albino hair, its eyes were nothing but a greyish blue, and there were holes in the skin where blood was slowly trickling out and it was smeared all over the glass. "Come on, move it!" A soldier said as he roughly shoved me onto my feet again. "It's not nice to stare." He teased. We continued to move on, but I noticed that in a few of the cells, people who had not been tested, stared at me sadly. They knew what was happening and that it was going to happen to them, and I was joining them in the line for death. We finally came to the last cell that was empty and the soldiers quickly cut my bonds, and threw me into the cell which then slammed shut.

I looked around at the small apartment-like cell. It was tabloid pill shaped with blue trimming and white walls. The small oval-like cell was cut into two by a wall and a door. One was the bathroom, but the toilet and the sink were in the shower, and all bare necessities had been included. The other room had a bed you would normal see in a prison cell that had blue and white covers, sheets, and pillows. It seemed comfortable enough for the first few weeks, but after that, I had lost track how long I had been in there, waiting for it to be my turn to die. I only knew the time of day because of the regular meals and someone would scream every half an hour when they were being given the serum, except for the night time. The Commander didn't run any tests at night.

The guards always took me out to exercise around 2 pm. I was the only one who got to do this. I suppose it's because Cobra Commander didn't want to let his "perfect" specimen's perfectness to rot away in that cell. He wanted me as healthy as possible when it came time for my turn.

I was waiting patiently for my guards to come take me out for exercise at 2pm one day. But they didn't come. Someone screamed. It was 2:30 and they weren't here. 2:40, nothing. Finally, at 2:50 they came, but they didn't have any of the usual exercise equipment they had when they came to take me out, instead they had some shackles for both my wrists and my ankles, and a metal collar that was hooks up to two three and a half foot pole. "No, no, NO!" I exclaimed. I knew it was coming, but I never allowed myself to accept that it would actually happen. I always thought someone like the G.I. Joes would come and save me. I never thought that no one would come to my rescue. I backed up against my cells wall and tried to fight back, but it was impossible in such close quarters. They soon had me chained and were forcing me to walk towards the building I saw people walking into normal and healthy, but come out looking like they would die any second. I started to struggle harder. One of the men holding my collar pole shook it, nearly choking me.

"Knock it off." He scolded. "It'll be over before you know it. Now just move it." I moved. It was no use trying to fight the inevitable, whatever happened in there would decide my fate. When we entered the room Cobra Commander and Doctor Mindbender were awaiting us. The room had a cold metallic operating table complete with restraints, several sharp utensils laid on a silver tray that sat next to the table, and… A cobra? The little thing hissed at me from his cage that was on the other side of the table. I jumped, well, I jumped the best you can when every limb and your head is chained.

"Hehehe." Commander Cobra laughed. "Nervous?" He asked. I nodded my head. You never lied to the commander. "Good. Boys, strap her to the table."

"Yes sir, Cobra Commander, sir!" The soldier shouted. They used the thing on my neck to force me onto the table, then they strapped me down and removed the other chains. I struggled slightly against the restraints.

"Don't even brother Samantha. Those restraints were made strong enough to hold an elephant. I made them myself. It's an alloy of-" Doctor Mindbender started.

"Oh shut up you dolt, and start the experiment." The Commander hissed. "Now it's time to see if we have finally had the right formula for the serum." He started to rub his hands together manically. Doctor Mindbender reached into the cage containing the snake and quickly grabbed the serpent by the neck and picked up a syringe and injected something into the venom glands of the snake, at least, that's what I think my biology book said that the venom glands were in that area. "I picked this animal especially for you, you'll like it, if you survive that is."

Dr. Mindbender took the snake and placed it right next to my forearm. The cobra, finally finding something to take its furry out on, sank its fangs into it. I cried out in pain.

"Oh, and when the serum starts to take effect, it may hurt just a little." Doctor Mindbender commented. "After all, your DNA is being changed, the very structure of your being."

And at exactly 3 pm, I let out an ear piercing scream of agony. My whole body burned. It felt like some had soaked my in kerosene and then lit me on fire. It felt like someone was stabbing me over and over. It felt like the time I got into a fight with a kid that was almost three times my size and weight. It basically felt like the devil had come himself to welcome me at death's doors. I begged for unconsciousness, I begged for ignorance of the pain that dance around my body. I wanted this to stop, even if it meant dying, and soon I was met by a black wall of nothing.

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**And now to our commercial break. Buy this toothbrush (fake smile), it is dentist and orthodontist approved.**

***Sorry. Couldn't help but do that to you guys. And yes, I know, the suspense is killing you. At least, I hope it is.**

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Samantha P.O.V.

My eyes fluttered open, weakly but surely. I took a deep breath, I was alive! My eyes had opened to see the hideous faces of Cobra Commander and Doctor Mindbender, who were staring at me with pure joy. "It worked! It worked! This is most excellent!" the Commander shouted triumphantly.

"Wait a minute, how can you tell it worked?" I asked flicking my tail in annoyance . Wait a second- a tail? I finally look down at myself and take a deep intake of breath. My clothes had been torn in many places, and where there was a tear, a tuft of Siamese patterned fur stuck out. I saw that I now had a long and skinny tail, and when I looked at my hands, they were covered in a thin layer of fur, and when I flicked my wrist, little claws came out of the tips of my fingers. It looked really weird, especially since I still had regular finger nails.

"Do you wish to see your face my dear "Kit-kat"?" Doctor Mindbender asked, mocking the nickname my dad had given me. I shook my head. "To bad." And with that he held a mirror for me to see that, for the most part, my face looked normal, except for the fact that it was covered in fur, my pupils had become slits, and I had ears popping out of the top of my head instead of on the side where they belong. My wild hair went just added to my cat-like look. I scowled at the face I saw in the mirror, and noticed that I also had fangs. They sort of looked like vampire fangs, but they were more cat-like.

"Scan her new DNA structure to see if it's stable." Cobra Commander ordered Doctor Mindbender. Doctor Mindbender promptly picked up a pair of tweezers in his gloved hands, reached over, and yanked a single strand of my crazy hair out of my head. I gnashed my fangs together, trying to hold back a cat-like growl. H placed my hair on a tiny IPad-like machine, which quickly scanned my hair.

"Molecular and DNA structure stable. No illness, disease, cancer, or unwanted mutations detected." The little machine beeped.

"Excellent! We have found the perfect formula for the serum! Start transferring all the data to-"Cobra Commander was stopped in midsentence as the whole base shook.

"Warning, warning, G.I. Joes attacking! Warning, evacuate all personal immediately. Base is set to self-destruct in ten minutes." A warning voice came over the intercom. I couldn't help but grin, the Joes had finally come to save me! But then I frowned. Would it be possible for them to rescue me in time?

"Don't get any bright ideas, girl!" The Commander snarled. "Your family is still within my reach." I paled, well; at least I think I did. You couldn't tell because of the fur on my face. "If you are not willing serve me for the rest of your days… I will kill every one of your family members and close friends. Do you promise to work for Cobra loyally for the rest of your days?" I slowly and regretfully nodded my head. "Excellent. Now, you see that uniform over there?" He gestured towards a suit I had not seen early. It was a long sleeve blue leather jumpsuit with a high collar that had the red Cobra symbols on both corners of it. A pair of black boots with heels sat underneath the headless manikin that supported the uniform. I nodded. "You are going to put that on and follow me, and if you try anything, Doctor Mindbender will tranquilize you faster that you can hiss." He removed my restraints and I walked over to the uniform to change. Meanwhile, the Commander talked to some of his men over a blue tooth. "I want squad 2A to get the clone, squad Alpha, get the escape vehicle ready, and Stormshadow, prepare a room next to yours for your new pupil. I want to teach her to be the taught everything you know." He paused for a second. "I am quite sure she is loyal to Cobra. I have the power to kill her family in the blink of an eye if she shows an ounce of disloyalty."

After that he promptly left, I followed him, and Dr. Mindbender brought up the rear. We walked quickly through the quarantine cells, but no matter how fast we walked, the smell of death hit me hard. I doubled over gagging, nearly barfing. "What wrong with you?" Dr. Mindbender said, prodding me with the tranquilizer gun.

"Death. The smell of death is everywhere. It's so strong." I managed to gag out. Then it hit me, they had killed so many people, and had left them in their cells, even after they had died.

"Impossible, those cells are air tight. They only left oxygen in and carbon dioxide out." He paused. "But if you can smell as well as a cat, you could smell the small traces of death that linger on the carbon dioxide that exits the cells."

"Whatever it is, we need to get a move on if we want to get out of the blast range and escape the Joes." Cobra Commander growled, so I fought harder to keep my lunch down, and continued to follow the Commander. We quickly got into the waiting van and drove off, without the Joes flying above in their helicopters noticing our escape. Inside the van I saw a hunched figure sitting between two soldiers. I gasped when I saw who it was. It was my clone! But it seemed lifeless. Its chest didn't rise and fall and it didn't move in any way. The Commander saw me looking at it and commented, "We manage to get a perfect replica, but we haven't figured out how to make it alive. Boys," he said, now talking to the soldiers, "Do what I instructed you to do earlier." And with that, one of the soldiers took out a knife and stabbed the clone right through where its heart and left lung were. I winced at the sight; the poor thing could even bleed. "Get used to it. You're going to have to do that regularly. And from now on, your name will be Katana, so when we fight the Joes, they can't look you up in their files if they hear your name called out on the battle field."

"Yes sir, but what is the point of the clone?"

"You'll see in a minute my friendly feline." A few minutes later we turned onto a familiar street and the driver and the soldiers pulled their weapons and started making as much of a racket as they could. As we passed my house, they opened the back doors of the van and threw the clone out into the middle of the street, just as my family come out of the house. My brain two and two together, Cobra Commander wanted me to be dead to my family even though my heart still beats.

Rufus Callaway

I stared at horror as I recognized the figure lying all to still in the middle of the street. "Jason," I said in as steady as a voice as I could manage. "Go to your room now." Jason, being the good little boy he was, he went straight back inside, and as soon as the front door was closed, my wife and me sprint to the figure lying still in the middle of the road. I quickly moved the limp girl onto my lap and ran my fingers around the area where the blade was buried in her chest. I looked at her once bright, but now dull eyes, stared up unfocused at the sky. I started to stroke her cold cheek with my index and middle finger. "I'm so sorry Kit-kat." I sobbed, burying my face in her neck. "I never meant to get you all caught up in this. I'm so sorry baby girl." I rocked her back and forth, sobbing as my wife sat on her knees beside me and rubbed my back. This continued for several minutes until someone tapped on my shoulder, startling my wife and me. I removed my head from the dead girl's neck and looked behind me to see tall, muscular, and short blond haired man standing behind me. "Who are you?" I croaked.

"I'm Sargent Duke Hauser, leader of the G.I. Joes. We're a special military organization meant to stop Cobra from doing things like this." He introduced himself and gestured towards my limp daughter. "She was attacked by Cobra, correct?"

"Yes, she was kidnapped two months ago and the soldier said I wouldn't see her alive ever again. He kept his promise."

"Well we believe she was one of the test subjects that Cobra was using to test their new super soldier serum. It appears that they took her from the testing base before it blew up and before she could be tested on, then she was killed on their way here and then thrown practically onto your door step. We promise we'll do everything we can to avenge your daughter and the hundreds of people that were killed in this event. One day, we will stop Cobra for good."

I looked up at the man with a straight face and nodded. He would avenge my daughter's death, and every other person who had been killed in Cobra's clutches.


	3. Chapter 3: Training Thy Doom

**I do not own the G.I. Joes.**

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Chapter 3: Training Thy Doom

Cobra Commander P.O.V.

I looked down at the scene before me with glee. We had only started training the girl a year ago, and in about a week, her training would be complete. I watched from the overviewing room as Katana matched Storm Shadow blow for blow. We were training the perfect fighter, the prefect warrior, the perfect soldier. The girl was intelligent and athletic before, but now, no ordinary Joe could stand up to her. Not even their silent ninja, Snake Eyes, could beat her. And that is if she fought fair.

I had let the threat of hurting her family fade away. I knew she was loyal to me. We even had a discussion about it. Even if I had or will let her go, she had nowhere to go. She couldn't have a normal life now that she was a "freak", as she put. She couldn't go to school, have a job, and everyone would never accept her for being different. And besides, what are the chances her family would even accept her? Slim. That's what they were, slim. She would do everything I said and more. I sent her on a mission about a month ago to go steal the Devil's Eye in order to power Cobra's latest weapon, and she also came back with my favorite dinner. Not only that, it was stolen. The girl knew what it takes to please me, and then impress me. Unlike the bumbling fools around here who just tried to please me and failed, the ones who went as far as try to impress me were worse.

She wasn't anything like them. She was the perfect soldier, and the best part is, she's loyal.

Samantha P.O.V.

That night, when I had last seen my parents, my brain and heart had conversed, then created a plan. I would fool the Commander into believing I was his most loyal subject. And then, when my training was complete, I would show my true colors. I would delete all information he had on my friends and family and all information that he had on his special serum, and then I would make an escape before he realized I had even deleted the information. After I had escaped, I would not return to my family because I couldn't, but I would tear Cobra down bit by bit. Destroy them with every skill they had given me or taught me. I would be merciless, and when they screamed in pain and begged for me to stop, I would not stop until they were dead. They had taken my family away from me, and now I was going to be cold hearted and deaf to their pleas. I would not rest until I saw Cobra fall beyond repair. I was going to do the job the Joes never completed; I was going to behead this snake.

I was preparing for my escape as it draws near. Only a week, then I can stop pretending I like these monsters and are one of them. Or… I could do it as soon as this session is over. No, I need to know everything these fools know. I can't risk missing out on a week of learning.

"Katana! Are you even paying attention?" Storm Shadow snapped, bringing me back to reality. "By now you would've brought me to the ground several times."

"Sorry. I didn't get much sleep over the week. The boys in the next room were partying late for the entire week." It wasn't a complete lie, the boys that had a room next to mine liked to have parties for a few months straight, but I had learned how to sleep through them. And unlike most Cobra soldiers, I got my own room because I was "special" and received unique treatment. So I didn't have to worry about gossiping girls that would try to talking to me all night.

"Hmm. I've noticed that those boys from room 21a have been acting sluggish. I'll have to talk to them about keeping Cobra Commander's pet awake when she needs her sleep." He then tried to kick my head, but I grabbed his leg on flipped him over me and onto the ground. I was used to being called the Commander's pet. At first I didn't like it, but then I accepted it. If I hadn't, it would've eventually blown my cover before I wanted it blown. "That's better; now keep your focus up. Cobra Commander is assessing you to see if you still need that extra week of training." He hissed. That's what brought me completely back to reality. If I didn't need that extra week of training, I could leave tonight. I had completed all my other training two months before. Like the basic training, hacking (anything electronic), stealth, regular schooling, combat training, and so on and so forth.

I kicked into high gear, and the unsuspecting ninja was easily beaten multiple times. I could hear the Commander laughing with glee as he saw his project reach its completion. He wanted a perfect soldier, and he created one, but my creation was not going to benefit him.

I saw the Commander walking down the stairs for the control room and he was clapping his hands. "Bravo, bravo!" He hissed. "That was quite a show, I was concerned for a second at the beginning, but that was such a wonderful deceit. I mean, tricking him into thinking that you weren't focusing or paying attention? Just beautiful, just beautiful!"

"Thank you Cobra Commander. I was taught the art of deceit by the best." I said, bowing respectfully towards the Commander.

"What do you think of her martial arts and ninja skills? Do you think she requires more training?" Storm Shadow asked. "From a teacher's stand point, I see no further need. She has perfected every move and technique I know. But my opinion is nothing compared to yours, Commander Cobra." Kiss up, I thought with a sneer. But was I any better? Yes. I was tricking the Commander into liking me, I didn't actually like that I had to have him like me for my plan and cover to work, but it was necessary.

"If your opinion doesn't matter, than you should not speak at all." I snarled. Storm Shadow stared at me with shock, he had taught me to be respectful to my superiors. But I knew that the Cobra Commander would want more than a respectful and obedient soldier, he wanted someone who would give him what he wanted without him having to tell them. I was going to be that way, for a short while longer at least.

The Commander nodded his head in agreement. "Well said Katana. Well said. You should listen to her Storm Shadow. This girl is wise with wisdom above her years." Strom Shadow regained his composure, but not before he shot me a look that said he was not pleased with me embarrassing him in front of the Commander.

"So, what is your decision Commander?" He asked. "Has the girl completed her training and can now become a full member of Cobra, or does she require another week of training?"

"I enjoyed her performance very much indeed, and she has learned very much in a year that would take a common soldier several years to learn. I believe she has completed her training. In fact, I was so sure my pet would pass that I even set up a special ceremony in her honor months ago." He announced. "Now come, my dear, everyone is waiting for you." He tried to grab my arm to guide me to the ceremony room, but I gently removed it from his grasps.

"But Commander, I am not dressed for a ceremony, please allow me to change into something more appropriate for the occasion." I said as I spread my arms to emphasize that wearing a white martial arts uniform was not right for such a high honor.

"Of course, my dear, please where your best dress. Please meet me in the backstage room behind the ceremony stage when you're finished getting ready." He almost seemed to coo. I quickly said my thanks and then ran to my room to change; I would not make my escape until it was late at night. When I entered my room, I saw a dazzling red sparkly dress. It was strapless, knee long, and there was no back of the dress until it reached my lower back. The dress came with white long gloves, a pair of red ruby heels, a diamond necklace and earrings, and the dress itself had a little hole for my tail. I quickly braided my lion's mane into a long thick ponytail that reached my exposed shoulder blades.

I had gotten use to my tail, and I even now knew how to fight with it. It may not be as strong as any of my other limbs, but it is quite useful in a fight.

The Cobra Commander had gone all out for the ceremony. Everyone who was higher up in Cobra was there. After the opening ceremony, I felt a tap on my shoulders. I turned around. "Oh, hell, Destro."

"Hello Katana. May I have this dance?" The chrome dome offered his hand to me.

"Off course." I meowed politely. "But only if the Commander allows me to take the first dance with you instead of himself." The Commander nodded and took me out to the dance floor that was playing a slow dance.

"You know Katana," Destro seem to purr as he spun me around in front of him. "Quite a few things have changed in this year or so."

"Indeed Destro," I purred back, and I managed to keep from choking on it. "A year ago I was not part feline."

"Not only that," He said as I rocked back in forth in his arms. "A year ago you spat on the Commander's face plate, now, you are loyal to him and do everything he asks and more."

"Of course Destro, after that experiment he could of killed me or let me go, which would've brought my end too, but he kept me alive, fed me, trained me, taught me, and he puts a roof over my head. He has done so many good things for me, why would I not be loyal?" I noticed that Destro leaning his head closer to mine, his lips drawing near. I tried to push away, but he had taken me by surprise, and could not.

Our lips almost touched when a cry sprang up from the right next to us. "Destro!" The Baroness exclaimed, ripping him away from me. "You two timing wretch!" She took a black gloved hand and back handed him.

"It's not what it looked like, my dear!" Destro said. "She was the one trying to get the kiss!"

"That's not what I saw! I saw her trying to push away as your head leaned in closer. Her hands were planted on your chest as she tried to push you away!" The music had stopped, and people were staring at the fight. "She didn't want the kiss, you did. Isn't that right Katana?"

"Indeed Baroness," I snarled. "When he asked to dance I did not realize he wanted something more."

"Stop!" The Commander shouted as he shoved his way through the crowd. "Stop this at once! This is meant to be a day of celebrating a new member of the Cobra elite, not a bickering contest for lover's quarrels. You two," he pointed at the arguing couple. "Leave now. I will not tolerate this bickering now. I put up with enough of it on a regular basis. I will not let this ruin my pet's special day. Come now my pet; let us enjoy the rest of this celebration with no further interruptions." I quickly took his hand that he offered, and followed him into the dense crowd. The rest of the night was enjoyable. My favorite foods had been prepared and the Commander introduced to some pretty high up people that I had never met before. I silently thanked him; my targets would be easier to kill if I could recognize their face and scent.

After six hours of celebrating, everyone finally went to bed. I gave myself an hours rest, and when I awoke it was midnight. I quickly changed into a black, long sleeve jumpsuit that had a high collar with yellow cat eyes on the corners. It had a hole for my tail. I had secretly been hand making this for a few months and had completed it a week before today. I took the black boots from my Cobra uniform to complete the ensemble. I quickly two bags I had pre-packed. One held my weapons and clothing and hygienic items, and the other held some unperishable food items, water, and a few first aid kits.

I snuck down the hall, through a few buildings, and then into the main computer room. I quickly hacked into the encrypted files labeled Samantha's Family and Friends and the Super Soldier serum. I had no clue why they had not used the serum on anyone else, bet they hadn't. I deleted the first file and quickly scanned through the second one. When I was scanning through it I found out why they hadn't. They wanted to take a sample of my DNA after I was completely trained and loyal so they would have the true perfect soldier. Well that left a quiet escape out of the question. I would have to burn the whole base down to make sure that they couldn't get any of my DNA. I shed like crazy. I quickly deleted the file and then implanted a virus that would slowly but surely delete the main files of Cobra's database. I then went to the ammo storage room that resided in each building and set a bomb that was set to go off at the touch of a button. Specifically, a button on the remote I held in my hands. And once I was clear of the blast zone, I pressed the button and the Cobra base below me turned into a giant inferno.


	4. Chapter 4: A Second Chance

**I do not own G.I. Joe.**

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Chapter 4: A Second Chance

Cobra Commander P.O.V.

I stared in horror at the base that was now in flames. Very few of us had escaped the explosion that woke us from our sleep, and when we had completed the roll call, 116/180 Cobra staff were missing, one of them being my very special pet that held the secret to my perfect soldiers.

Once the fire had been put out I ordered most of the survivors to begin the search for bodies and what had caused the explosion. We found 115 bodies out of the 116 missing. The only body unaccounted for was Katana, but my hope quickly died when they said that the explosion that had went off in the building in which she slept was so close to her room and so hot, that it could of quite possibly incinerated her so bad that not a single strand of DNA could've survived. Great, I thought, we are going to have to start from scratch again.

Samantha P.O.V.

It had been a year in a half since I escaped from that Cobra base. At first they had thought me to be dead, but then many of their men and soldiers were being murdered and killed by what the few survivors called a werecat. It didn't take long in order for the Commander to realize it was me. I've killed so many of Cobra's men now that I've killed at least twice as many people they killed in the experiment process of the serum. There probably more than that, I've just lost count.

Now, I didn't just kill them right on the spot, before I killed them, I would infiltrate that base, get all the information that was important, send a specialized virus into their computers and then kill most of the people working at that base. I wore the uniform I made before leaving the base I blew up, but when I was in costume I had the yellow at eyes on my collar covered, I wore a mask, had my ears flat, my hair was in a black hair net-like thing that you couldn't see through, and I made my tail look like a belt. I then would "join" Cobra. Nobody recognized me until it was too late.

Right now, I was currently trying to join special Cobra team that was training to try bringing test subjects in for when the serum was ready, if it was ever ready. I had to stop this before it started, not again. Too many died before they perfected it, and I wasn't going to let anyone be separated from their family like I had, or all the others who had died. "Now why do you think you deserve to be a part of Cobra, soldier?" Commander Blood asked me as he had with all the others in the line.

"I don't deserve it sir! I just want to prove I that I am worthy sir!" I replied. Giving him the answer he wanted.

"I want to see your face when you say it!" He ordered.

"Sorry sir, my religion and code forbid me of taking my mask off in the presence of non-family members."

"Well Cobra is going to be your new family so take that darn thing off!"

"Cobra is not my new family yet Commander Blood."

"Look," he said, trying to calm down, "we've been having security issues because of masks. An enemy of Cobra hides her face with a mask, and the only time she takes it off is to kill Cobra troops. Now, take it off." At that moment a huge hole is blown into the roof and searching spotlights come from the helicopters that hovered above, and the lights were mainly focused on me.

Duke P.O.V.

We had been intercepting Cobra messages for months now about a mutant cat-girl named Katana attacking Cobra troops and committing mass murder of the troops, scientists, or basically whatever happened to be at the base. Cobra never mentioned why she kept on attacking them, but she had to be stopped. We once intercepted an image of what she looked like before she attacked, but we never sent through like the other messages. One of the messages we ever received stood out. It was, "Help! Help us! She's alive! Katana is alive!" It was strange, they were surprised that she was alive, maybe they had attempted to kill her, and they believed they had succeeded when they actually had failed. We had to get to her before Cobra did, so we kept every image that was sent that had her in it. If Cobra caught her, they wouldn't let her live or even have a fair trial.

Over the months of keeping careful recorded of the messages, we finally found a pattern to her attacks. If there was a Cobra meeting or something that involved important information or the serum, which we believed they were going to attempt kidnapping people to use for test subjects again, she was there. So when earlier today we picked up a message that had the coordinates of the meetings place for something about the serum, we set up an ambush in order to capture Katana and possibly a few snakes. But the moment the roof blew open, she didn't stay and fight like we suspected she would, instead she ran while the Cobra troops staid and fought. And when I say she ran, she ran with the speed of a cheetah and efficiency of a ninja. Time to send in Snake Eyes, I thought. "Snake Eyes, go get her!" I ordered. The silent ninja nodded his head before he jumped out of the helicopter onto the roof and ran after her.

Snake Eyes P.O.V.

It was almost impossible to keep up with Katana. The most I saw of her for most of the chase was some of her tail. Apparently, she had more in common with cats than looks. It didn't help that she had been trained in the ways of the ninja. At one point, I knew I was going to lose her, so I threw a small tracking device the size of a tick onto her tail. Good thing I had extremely good aim, otherwise I would've missed it altogether. I followed the little dot on my GPS screen away from the city and into the middle of a large forest, which was very thick with trees. I noticed that the dot was still. She probably had reached her base or wherever she went after she killed massive amounts of Cobra. I remembered cats had a really good since of smell, so I kept downwind of her and slowly sneaked up on her. The building she was hiding in was a small wooden cabin. I silently snuck inside, but apparently no one told her that you weren't supposed to know a ninja was sneaking up on you because as soon as I entered the small house, she had her katanas out and ready to fight. Her mask was also off and I couldn't help but stare at her face that seemed so feline, but was human. She had fur on her face, but no whiskers, slit pupils, ears on the top of her head, wild hair that slightly resembled a lion's mane, she had vampire-like fangs, but her face was human shaped.

I quickly got over my shock and threw a pair of sleeping gas bombs at her feet and quickly pulled a gas mask over my mouth and nose. She began to sway. "Note to self," she murmured, "Ninjas can carry sleeping gas." And with that she began to fall, but I caught her so she would not fall on her own swords and handcuffed her. I signaled to Duke that I had her ready for pick-up. A few minutes later Duke was hovering over the cabin and lowered a ladder for me to climb up. When I entered the helicopter, I noticed that Duke had a prisoner of his own. The moment I sat the sleeping hybrid next to the Cobra troop, he started to shake and he tried to scoot right out of the helicopter and I had to close the doors so he couldn't commit suicide. I looked at what I thought to be a young lady, and wondered how that skinny little girl could cause so much fear out of him, even when she was unconscious.

Samantha P.O.V.

When I woke up, I was sitting against a stone wall with my wrists and ankles having chains that were connected to the wall. I around and saw it was one of those rooms that would've been a dudgeon in a castle, and when I completed my look around a tall and blond haired man open the bared door and took a seat in a chair that would've been just out of my reach had I tried to go at him. "I'm sorry for the conditions Katana." He began. "But we were unsure of how you would react when you woke up and we are also uncertain about your abilities. Now, I'm going to ask you some questions, the more you answer will make it easier for us to help you. I'm Sergeant Duke Hauser, leader of the G.I. Joes. What is your name?"

"My name is Katana." I said briskly.

"I know it's not Katana. Katana is a name that fits the cat and ninja part of you, but what is your actual name?"

I looked at him carefully. He wasn't lying. He did want to help me and he was the leader of the Joes. "Promise me nobody but the Joes will know this information."

"Cobra will never learn of this information."

"Cobra already knows everything. I don't want my friends and family knowing, or anyone who is not a Joe."

"Cobra knows everything? How?"

"Do you know about the special serum the Commander was inventing about two in a half years ago?"

"Yes."

"Well I was one of the test subjects; actually I was the last test subject. I am the only successful experiment."

"But how did you survive. I mean we have the list of everyone Cobra kidnapped and they all have grave stones."

"Everything you want to know will be explained as I tell my story. My name, my real name, is Samantha Rosia Callaway. I was..."

"But we found your corpse, how is it possible you're still alive?"

I was starting to get frustrated. "I said all would be explained as I told my story." I growled.

"Sorry. Please continue."

"Anyway as I said, I was kidnapped because my dad is Dr. Rufus Callaway. He once worked for Cobra but he quit when he realized it was a terrorist organization bent on ruling the world. He actually was able to leave Cobra without being killed, but Cobra Commander wanted revenge my dad was supposed to help him with the serum. And about 4-5 years ago, they found out where my dad worked and started to send him blackmail and threats, and then 2 in a half years ago, Cobra Commander figured out where we lived and kidnapped me. I waited for about two months for them to test me, and I was scared. So far everyone who had received the serum was dead or dying, and so I waited to die. But I survived the testing and the serum did what it was supposed to do. The serum is supposed to make you basically part of whatever animal's DNA was mixed into that batch. He chose a mixture of cat DNA for me, tiger and lion for strength, cheetah for speed and agility, and Siamese for fur pattern and intelligence. He brought me with him when we evacuated the base; he also brought a clone of me. He told me that if I did not remain loyal to him, that he would hurt my family and dearest friends. He ordered a soldier to stab it, and even though it was never alive, it still bled, and they threw it in front of my house, to make it appear that I was dead, to my family and friends. He had the people who were best at what they do, train me. I completed my training in a year. I escaped after erasing all the information on the serum and my friends and family. I then blew up the base to get rid of any DNA of mine that I might've shedded. Since then I have been hunting down Cobra and trying to wipe them out. They're what's keeping me from my family and friends. They did this to me, and they killed so many people trying to get this serum right. They showed no one any mercy, so I decided that I wouldn't show them any mercy." I said, sobbing towards the end.

"Maybe we could cure you of it, and give you your family back." Duke offered sincerely.

"No, the way he designed the serum makes it impossible to cure. If a possible cure is injected or put into the body by any other means, the serum floating in my blood stream that will send out a toxin to kill me before the cure works, and before you can find the cure for the toxin."

Duke looked like he was going to say something but then a voice came over the intercom. "Duke, we need you in the control room now."

He pressed a Bluetooth-like device in his ear and said, "Coming Breaker." He then turns to speak to me. "Sorry for the interruption, it sounds like it might be important."

"It's okay. I'll be waiting here for you." I said pointing at the chains for emphasis. He then left. I could hear him going down the hall and I heard the conversation that ensued in the room next to mine quite clearly, even though they whispered.

"Cobra is starting to kidnap again. We need to set up a guard at every house that is going to be threatened again. I don't have a clue how to help the ones we don't know if they're a possibility for Cobra to hit." Breaker said.

"Are there any families we definitely know he's not going to hit again?" Asked Duke.

"Yes. I have a list of them right here."

"Then we don't send any guards to them. Is there anyone who we should worry about them being kidnapped immediately?"

"Judging by what has come to light with Katana-er-Samantha, oh I don't know what to call her. But the Callaways are more likely to have a member kidnapped. Cobra is not going to be happy with her, and will find her family again and use them to manipulate or hurt her. The least amount of time we have is about 6-7 months."

"I have an idea, it'll save Samantha's hide and she gets to protect her family."

"I think I know what you're thinking Duke. It might just work, and save her from a death sentence. We both know after all that killing that she would get it."

"I know. Well, I'm going to go talk to her." Duke came back into the room. "Samantha," he started.

"I heard everything Duke. The only I thing I need you to tell me is how I can avoid a death sentence with all those deaths I caused."

"Your second chance is to join the Joes, and your first mission will to protect your family from Cobra attacks, but no killing unless it is absolutely necessary. First though, we'll need to train you in our ways, which would take about 2-10 years for a normal human being, but from what you said about completing Cobra's training in a year, it'll probably take six months or less. And you will have to let them know that you work for the Joes and will be guarding them."

"Personally?"

"Personally."


	5. Chapter 5: Reunited, Sort Of

**I do not own G.I. Joes.**

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Chapter 5: Reunited, Sort Of

Jason Callaway P.O.V.

It had been three years since it happened. Three years ago she had been taken away from us, and then two months afterward she had turned up dead. Mom and Dad wouldn't let me see her body so I could confirm to myself that she was dead. But I had watched the casket lowered into the ground, and my small spark of hope sputtered. It did not go out entirely, but it grew weaker and has been growing weaker over the years.

Right now we were holding a little memorial we do every year. We would invite everyone who lived nearby that had their children or family member kidnapped by Cobra and killed, over to our house and late at night, we would set up the deceased's pictures in our backyard and light up candles everywhere. And there we would stay until late into the night, mourning those who should've lived for many more years. Many of us would cry. I cried. I cried for the loss of my sister Samantha. She was the perfect sister. She laughed with me, even when I made jokes that weren't funny. She played with me and always gave me a big welcome whenever I came home from school. I remember her laugh, always full of cheer and happiness. It made me feel like Christmas was here every day of the year. But now that's gone, and I only feel the empty hole that took her place.

I buried my head into my mother's long black dress, weeping because I no longer had a sister to call my own. There was Stacey, who was there with us now, but no one, and I mean no one, could replace my Samantha. Everyone looked up from their place of mourning when they heard a rustle in the tall hedges that surrounded our back yard. The sound was coming from in front of where my family faced. We all watched, fearing what may come out of those hedges. Something walked out of our hedges; it was dressed in black, with a mask, two tall, pointy ears, and a tail. Its bushy hair was in a black hair net and two swords stuck out from behind her back. Everyone froze in fear, worried that it was Cobra coming back for more of their loved ones.

Samantha P.O.V.

I had stepped out of the hedges, and I saw everyone look up to me in fear. Stacey and my family were in the front of the large group of those who were in our back yard. "Peace, I do not mean any of you any harm. I am sorry to interrupt the mourning of your recent loss, but I must speak with the Callaways alone. It is private government business." I said.

My mother was the first to speak. "Oh no, we are not mourning a recent loss, but a loss that is three years old. Everyone here has lost someone dear to them because of Cobra."

"Oh." I said taken by surprise and rubbed the back of my head, embarrassed. It had been three years but my family still mourned my death. "Well I'm sorry to interrupt either way, but I do need to speak with your family alone Mrs. Callaway." It felt so strange calling my mom Mrs. Callaway.

"Of course," she said eyeing the G.I. Joe symbol that had recently been sown onto the chest of my suit. "I'm sorry everyone, but would you all please leave early so we can talk alone with this nice-nice a, whatever she is." She told the large crowd, they started to leave, and then she turned to whisper to me, "Sorry honey, I don't know what you are."

"Don't worry about it; I'll explain everything once everyone leaves."

"What about Stacey? She's like a daughter to me, and I am a mother to her. Her parents are always on business trips, Samantha was her best friend, and I don't want her to feel left out." She asked.

"Sorry, but my commanding officer said to speak to no one but the Callaways."

"Huh, very well. Sorry Stacey, you can't stick around either."

"It's okay Mrs. Callaway. I'll go home." Stacey said as she left. She was the last one to leave.

"So what's so important the Joes have to interrupt our yearly memorial?" My father asked.

"Well, you see Mr. Callaway, they didn't know about it when they sent me here tonight, but it is urgent." I started. "It's about Cobra," my family sorrowfully shifted their weight at the sound of that accursed name. I looked at every one of them in turn. My dad's face had wrinkles that showed that he was always frowning, his blond hair had streaks of gray, and his blue eyes had lost their twinkle. I could tell he blamed himself for my "death". He shouldn't, he couldn't have done anything more when Cobra kidnapped me. My mother looked the same as my father. Then I looked at Jason, oh sweet, innocent, precious Jason. How I missed him. His blond hair was still short and his blue eyes had lost the spark of happiness we shared together. He had grown quite a bit over three years. When I last saw him he had been four feet tall, now he was four foot ten.

"What about Cobra?" My dad asked.

"They're going after families again. Your family is one of the families that we believe that are at the top of the list. The Joes sent me over to be your guard. You won't see me, you won't hear me, but I'll be here."

"Oh no!" My mother cried.

"What are you?" Jason asked.

"Jason!" My mom scolded.

I took a deep breath and said "I'm a Cobra experiment that went right, but my loyalties were wrong in their opinion."

"Were you- were you apart of the Cobra Super Soldier serum?" My dad asked.

"Yes."

"But I thought the Joes said that everyone who had been kidnapped died."

"They didn't know that I survived until a few months ago."

"Does your family know?" My mom asked.

I stiffened at the question, but in order for them to trust me as their body guard; I needed to be as honest as I can be. "No, they don't, and they will never know." I told them coldly.

"Why? Why won't they ever know?" My mother asked her voice full of concern.

"Because they'll think I'm a freak, and even if they did welcome me home, I could never have a normal life."

"But at least they'd know you were alive and okay." Jason commented. He sniffled a little. "That's what I would want my sister to do. I wouldn't care what she looked like, as long as she still was my sister. And she would always be my sister." My will to keep my existence as secret as possible was nearly broken when he said that. But I was still sure it was the wrong thing to do.

"But would they forgive me for not telling them for so long?" I still stood as emotionless as I could be. No would not be the time to break down. "Thank you for listening to me and know that I'm just a scream away."

I prepared to jump back into the hedges. "Wait!" My father called. "What should we call you?"

I paused and I replied, "Katana." Then I jumped back into the hedges. From then on I spent my time patrolling around the house. There was a lot more to check than most people would think. There was the perimeter, under the house, on top of the house, and so on and so forth. I slept only when I dared, and only when I knew that there would be a vehicle with a Joe in it nearby. But I required little sleep during the night and it there were more Joe patrols during the day.

It had been a few weeks since I started my watch, and I was dozing off around three in the morning, when I heard the sound of supposed to be silent steps approaching the front door, but the fact that I have super hearing, it was a complete failure. I quickly drew my katanas and jumped from on top of the roof where I was hiding, and onto to ground in front of the intruder. "Ah, Katana. We meet again." Greeted Storm Shadow. I moved into attack position.

"Just be glad you didn't meet me when I no longer obeyed the law, otherwise this would be our last encounter." I snarled. He eyed my suit finding the G.I. Joe symbol.

"So, you joined the Joes, eh? How ironic. Just give me your brother and I'll leave dear old mum and dad alone."

"Not happening Storm Shadow." And with that I swung my swords at him, which he countered with his swords, causing a loud clang to echo through the area. We fought like that for minutes, clang after clang, only causing minor cuts to each other as we fought each other with precision and speed like professional dancer, and then my family came running out of house, awakened by the loud clangs, to see what all the noise was about.

"Katana!" My little brother cried. His cry through my focus off just for a millisecond, and I barely dodged a blow that would've cleaved my head in two. As is was, it cut my hair net in such a way that my hair came spilling out of it while none of my hair was actually cut off. In retaliation I quickly sliced his leg, and he cursed at me as he was forced to retreat.

Rufus Callaway P.O.V.

I watched in surprise as the familiar hair came spilling out of the hair net. I also watched the strange being before me rip of her mask, that was attached to torn hair net, and curse as she stomped all over her mask. Her face was hidden in the shadows of the night until she moved her head closer to our porch light. Her face was covered in fur and her sky blue eyes' pupils were slits.

"I'm so sorry about that. I wore the mask to not alarm you because of my looks, and the hair net so I would not give you any false hope or offend you. Cobra Commander chose this fur pattern for me, and so my hair became that pattern too." The slightly bloody figure said.

"I recognize you! You were in the back of the van that through my daughters corpse into the street! You don't work for the Joes! You work for Cobra!" I gasped. Recognizing the dark figure I had only seconds to see as the van drove away.

"No, no, I'm not one of them!" She desperately cried. "They threatened to hurt my family if I didn't work for them, so I let them train me for a year and then I used everything they taught me to escape and cover my tracks and my family's tracks. I then began to hunt Cobra down and that's what caught the Joes attention to have me join the team."

"But you can't be more than 15, 16, or 17 at the oldest. How are they legally allowed to let you join?" My wife asked.

"That's personal and classified information Mrs. Callaway." The humanoid feline replied. "But I can guarantee you; the Joes can guarantee you that I'm on your side. Cobra has taken me away from family and I won't let you feel that kind of sense of loss again."


	6. Chapter 6: Fond Memories

**I do not own G.I. Joes.**

* * *

Chapter 6: Fond Memories 

Samantha P.O.V.

Three days after Storm Shadow had attacked, my family and the Joes had thought it would be for the best if I stayed indoors with my family. If I was indoors I could respond quicker to any intruders that could've slipped through my defenses. It would be easier to protect them too. "So where am I crashing when it comes time for lights out?" I asked as I set down my bags at the dining room table at where my chair still sat.

"You can sleep in our daughter's room. It's the only spare we have. And everything is exactly how she left it. The sheets are still on the bed. I clean it every once in a while, but I always put everything in the same exact place." My mother said.

"But I thought we are trying to preserve it! I don't think having a person that sheds live in her room is going to preserve it very well." My father bursted out.

"I think it'd be fitting!" My mother shouted. "She's here to make sure that what happened to Samantha doesn't happen to anyone of us again!" Then she started sobbing.

"Hey it's alright." My father tried to sooth her and brought her into his arms. "She can sleep in Samantha's room. She just has to be careful."

"I can always sleep on the couch." I offered.

"No, she's right. And you'll be closer to Jason's room if there's trouble. They'll most likely go after him than us." My father responded. "I'm sorry for my outburst, but Samantha was one of the most important things in the world to me. Her room is one of the last things I have of hers. It's exactly the way she left it when she left for school that morning. Her favorite book is on her pillow, she never finished it, well at least not that time through, and it's still on the same page she left it. She was reading through it again for like the fourth billion time." He slightly chuckled at the memory. He smiled a little too as he rocked my mom back in fourth in his arms.

I remembered that book. It was the Chronicles of Narnia. All of the books in the chronicle are in one huge book. It was one of my favorites. I hadn't read that book in so long I don't remember where I left off. "Don't worry. I won't touch anything unless I have to."

"Thank you. Now the room is upstairs and to the right of Jason's room. He'll be in there now getting ready for school before breakfast." My mother said. She had stopped crying and now she headed over to the stove to make breakfast.

"How do you like your eggs dear?" She asked me.

"Oh, um, that's not necessary Mrs. Callaway. I'm not here to be fed, I'm here to protect." I stammered.

"Oh, it the least we could do after you saved Jason from that white ninja a few nights ago. So how do you like your eggs?" She said, refusing my first answer. "Scrambled, unless there is toast, then I'll have it fried."

"There'll be toast. How do you like your bacon?"

"Crispy but juicy." I replied, nearly purring at the memory of my mother's cooking.

"That's how exactly Samantha liked her eggs and bacon." My mother sighed forlornly. "She would only have her eggs fried if there was toast and bacon to dip in the yoke. And she loved her bacon so crispy it crumbled at the touch, but it still had so much flavor in it."

"So, why didn't you guys move after that first attack?" I asked as I grabbed my things.

"Cobra couldn't take anyone of us until Jason was old enough for them to collect the proper data. We didn't think it'd be so soon. I mean, he's only nine. Most of the kids they kidnapped last time were teenagers or young adults. We also thought that there was a possibility that Cobra would leave us alone now that they had hurt us so much." She replied.

"Cobra won't ever do that until there's nothing to destroy. They are still hurting me even though my life is almost completely ruined." I warned, and then I left the room to head up stairs to my room. When I opened the door to the room, I was surprised to find Jason sitting on the bed with one of my old Barbie dolls in his hands. He was holding it gently, as if it would shatter at the slightest touch. "Whatcha doing sport, aren't you supposed to be getting ready for school?" He jumped when he realized I stood at the door.

"Please don't tell my parents." He cried. "I'm not supposed to be in here touching her stuff. But I can't help it."

"Why can't you help it?" I asked sitting down next to him on my bed.

"Her stuff just brings back so many memories from when she was here. I remember what I did to this doll when I was five. I took it from her room and gave it a bath. Unfortunately, the bath tub was the toilet. She got so mad that she chased me around the house for half an hour. We had collapsed into a heap, laughing. I chuckled slightly at the memory." She could never stay mad at me for long. She loved me too much."

"Well, you better go head down stairs. Your mother is cooking breakfast and you don't want yours getting cold." I nudged him out the door.

"Will you be watching me at school today?" He asked.

"If I am, you'll never know I was there." I replied mysteriously as I closed the door in such a way that it threw him into a fit of giggles. I did watch him at school that day, but apparently Cobra didn't want to make a big scene because they didn't try anything. Either that or they were trying to keep a temporary low profile until we let our guard slip. Dinner was delicious and nothing eventful had happened, until I was walking to my room to crash for the night. I heard something coming from Jason room. It sounded like a song. I snuck closer to the cracked door to listen.

"We will always be together, you and I. For nothing with separate us, not the sky or seas." It was our song! I had sung it with Jason almost every night before going to bed. He started to hum the part of the song that was my part.

I started to sing as I opened the door. "Our brother and sister bond will see us through. Forever and ever and beyond the moon, we'll be together, just us two."

Then we sang in unison. "We will fly beyond the clouds and above the birds. We will never be separated from each other."

And then I sung the part I always sung to him before I went on a long trip somewhere without him. "No matter how far apart we are, I will always keep you close to my heart." I finished.

"How-how do you know that song?" he asked.

"Your sister was my cell neighbor and she'd sing the parts of the song I just sang, humming your parts. I didn't realize that they were your parts until you sung them. I always assumed she had just forgotten some lines from her favorite song or something." I shrugged.

"Well, that was my sister's and my song. On most nights she would sing it to me before going to bed. I've sung my part every night for the last few years. But I've almost forgotten her part. Did she really sing that last part every night too?"

"Yeah," I said sitting next to him and pulling him into my lap. I really had sung that song every night, even after I had escaped from Cobra. "I now know what she meant when she sang it. She really missed you and she would always remember and love you, no matter what happened to her." He started crying and he buried his face into my neck.

"I miss her so much. She was the bestest sister I could've ever have wanted."

"I know little dude. You must have been a really close family if you still feel so much pain because of her death."

"Yeah, but she was just so, so, happy and nice and cheerful, and just perfect. She was my only sister and sibling."

"Hey, it's okay to miss her, but remember, she's in a better place now. Cobra can't get her there." I lied. I wasn't in a better place and Cobra could just as easily get me here. He sniffled and then nodded his head.

"You're fur is so soft." He told me. I wasn't wearing my usual uniform, so some of my fur was exposed. I was wearing a light blue tank top with a calico cat on it and some long black pajama pants.

"What's going on?" My father asked from where he stood just outside the room in the hall.

"He was missing his sister and I came in to comfort him." I replied.

"But that's impossible. When he starts crying about his sister no one can get him to stop crying. He eventually stops on his own, but no one can sooth him to the point of stopping. How did you do it?" "I don't know. I just came in and talked to him."

"She sang Samantha's and my song dad. Then she talked to me. Something about her being her made me feel comforted." Jason piped up.

"How did you know their song?" My dad asked and I told him exactly what I had told Jason a minute ago. "If the Joes hadn't attacked the base after your "successful" experimentation, do you think they would've let her live?" My dad asked.

"No. Cobra still would've killed her or experimented on her, which in the end, probably would've killed her." I answered mournfully. "So, no matter what happened, it would've all ended the same way?"

"Unfortunately, yes." I lied. "Well, I better be going to bed. And thank you again Mr. Callaway for your hospitality."

"You have to try to keep track of all of us twenty-four/seven, it's the least we can do."

After that I went to my bedroom to sleep. My dreams were filled with nightmares. There was one where I watched Jason being dragged away from me as I stood frozen, unable to move. Another one I had, which I was currently having, I watched as my family faded away into darkness, but not before they asked me why I didn't tell them I was alive.

"Why didn't you tell us you were alive?" Jason asked. Then he faded into the black background.

"Can't you see you're hurting us?" My mother asked before the same happened to her.

"Why don't you trust us?" My dad asked. "We trusted you." Then he too, faded into the background.

"No, no, I'm sorry! I was just trying to protect you. I do trust you! Please don't leave me. I didn't want to hurt you!" I cried. "No, no, NO!"

Rufus Callaway P.O.V.

I was getting up to get some water in the around midnight, but before I could get to the stairs, I heard something coming from Katana's room. I went to see what was happening and when I opened the door I saw Katana thrashing around, shredding the blankets. Thankfully we had switched my daughter's sheets with the guest sheets. Then she started crying out in her sleep, her voice filled with pain and anxiety. "No, no, I'm sorry! I was just trying to protect you. I do trust you! Please don't leave me. I didn't want to hurt you!" she cried. "No, no, NO!"

All I could think is, who on earth is she talking to? I mean, I know she is dreaming, but who is she talking to in her dream? Who was she trying to protect? Who is having an issue with her trust? Who is leaving her? Who did she accidentally hurt? This new Joe was becoming more and more mysterious. I went to her bed and tried to gently shake her awake. "Katana, Katana, wake up." But in the process of her thrashing she sank her claws into my right arm. I had no clue she had claws. I bit my lip, to keep out from crying out in pain. It wasn't her fault that she was hurting me, her nightmares were causing her to freak out, and so they must be pretty bad. Katana was one tough, girl, or kitty. I don't know what could scare her that bad. Katana's eyes snapped open.

"Oh my word." She said. And then her eyes looked at my arm and she quickly released me and the blood began to flow out of my arm. "I am so sorry Mr. Callaway. It was a total accident. What were you doing in here anyway?"

"I was going to get a drink of water from the kitchen downstairs when I heard something coming from in here and I went to go check it out. "I started as I applied pressure to my arm, trying to get my arm to stop bleeding. "You were having terrible nightmares and were thrashing about, so I tried to wake you. It obviously was not wise to make physical contact with you before you woke up."

"Yeah, sorry, it's kind of a defense mechanism that I've developed over the years. Even the Commander has a few marks to prove it." She tried to rub off the whole thing, not for my sake, but her own. She felt really guilty about hurting me.

"Hey, I'm going to be okay. It's just a little scratch."

"Here, let me help." She said and she slipped out of bed to help me and she turned on the light, I saw that she too, was a bloody mess. In her thrashing she must've accidentally scratched herself because she had scratches with blood swelling out of them on her face, arms, legs, and a few on her torso.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Looking her up and down with concern. Her scratches may have been shallower than mine, but she had many, and she had shed more blood.

"I'll be fine." She said, trying to shrug off my concern. I felt worried. Just because she's a member of the Joes didn't mean she had to be afraid to ask or accept help from a non-Joe member.

"Well let's get ourselves cleaned up then we'll change your sheets." I scratched my head, unsure if the thing I was going to say next was the right thing to say. "You know, if you ever want to talk about your nightmare, you can talk to me. I know I may not be a Joe or been through anything like you have, but sometimes talking about is all it takes to feel better." I offered. After I said that she seemed to have an internal conflict, as my daughter called it. Her face became that of one in deep thought. There was a part of her that wanted to tell me and a part that didn't. "You don't have to worry about it now. Maybe you can tell me after you have settled down by tomorrow, or whenever you are ready to talk." She smiled her thanks at me not pushing her into telling me about her nightmare. Then we quickly cleaned up. I washed my and bandaged my arm while Katana took a shower.

"Having fur had its disadvantages." She had told me. She also told me it took a while to dry, unless of course she had a special blow dryer that was invented for her by one of her Joe teammates. And luckily, she had packed it. So we were back in bed in no time at all. We had got her new sheets and I had tried to offer her some medicine my daughter used to take to stop her from thrashing out in her dreams, but she refused. She told me she didn't want to dull her senses and not be ready if Cobra attacked. I had thought she could get a good night sleep from there on, even without the pills, but boy was I wrong.

Samantha P.O.V.

I heard hushed orders being whispered on the roof top around three in the morning. I quickly changed into my uniform, minus the mask, and snuck up to the rooftop. Storm Shadow was there, but he had brought guest. He had brought a squad that had consisted of twenty to thirty of his best ninjas. All of their backs were turned to me but he was prepared for me tonight. I was carefully stepping closer and closer to the group when I stepped on a loose shingle and it when clickity clack down the roof and crashed onto the ground. I can't believe my dad didn't bother to fix that shingle. That shingle had always been loose since we moved into this house when I was about three. I mentally face palmed myself.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" Storm Shadow purred as he turned around to face me. "Ah, hello Katana. I was expecting you."

"Oh, so that why you brought the entourage. They couldn't believe that you lost to a girl." I hissed.

"A girl? That's what you call yourself?" He scoffed. "After going through that experiment and betraying Cobra, you can no longer be classified as a girl or male, not by my standards. Students, attack her." He ordered, but he didn't move with them. He stayed where he was, not going with them and not going after Jason. He just stood there, watching. I fought like a fury demon. I didn't slow down and I never let up. But the ninjas in training didn't let up until I was forced to kill every one of them in order to stop their attacks. I could almost knock them out cold or stab their leg, but they would keep attacking me unless I killed them. At one point I was forced onto the ground by their sheer numbers, and by ground, I mean my front porch. And there, I finally killed the last ninja student and stood panting, exhausted from the long and hard battle and I became unsure if I could take Storm Shadow on head to head. Storm Shadow landed quietly nearby, clearly happy that his plan was working perfectly. He had wanted to tire me out so I wouldn't stand a chance against him. "Is-is that all you got?" I panted, trying not to let my exhaustion show as I attempted to keep standing straight without bending over in my desperate attempt to get enough air into my lungs.

"No." And I swear, if I could take that blasted white mask off his face, he would be grinning. The he struck out with lightning speed and had me pinned to the ground. He held a knife above my chest, ready to bury it in there like the soldier had done to my clone, but he had left me a little room to dodge the blow. I rolled a little ways from the blow, but not enough to avoid getting a deep scratch just above where my breasts start and went all the way across. He tried aiming lower so he could attempt to scratch my lung, but once again I rolled away so I only received a deep scratch just about where my ribs ended and it too, went all the way across. And then out of pure furry, he created a deep scratch that made all the scratches on the front of me look like a giant Z. And then, with all the strength I had left, I use my legs to kick him off me and I stood, the blood gluing my shirt to my body. I was about to make the first move and attack, but then once again a little voice cried out my name. "Katana!" And once again my attention was distracted for less than a second, but this time Storm Shadow was able to do worse than cutting fabric, this time he was able to bury his katana just below my sternum. I hit the ground and then the world went black.

Snake Eyes P.O.V.

I had been alerted of some commotion going on at Samantha's house. It must be bad if they called me in. No one knew what really was going on, but there was a lot of blood being detected on the property. I got there just in time to see Storm Shadow deliver a fatal stab somewhere in the vicinity of her ribs. I couldn't see the exact spot she had been stabbed, but it was bad, because a second later, Samantha fell to the ground, presumably unconscious. I then saw Storm Shadow move towards a little boy that stood frozen in fear on the front porch. I quickly jumped in between him and the boy. Storm Shadow took a few steps back in surprise.

"I will do the same thing as I did to that creature if you do not step aside Snake Eyes." He threatened, but he seemed too tired from the fight with Samantha to put up a decent fight. I looked at the scattered bodies that lay about and came to a simple conclusion. Storm Shadow had planned ahead so he could defeat her in an unfair battle. He had her fight massive amounts of his students and once she destroyed them, he would take the exhausted Samantha out for good. I shook my head determinedly. I was not going to let him take Samantha's brother. "Very well, then you leave me no choice." He said wearily and he grabbed the hilt of his sword that was buried in Samantha's chest and then ripped it out, earning a groan from the limp girl. "So, she still lives." He muttered. "Well that won't be for long, even if I don't finish her off myself, the blood loss will surely kill her." And with that he charged at me, but I was quickly knocked him to the ground with a swift kick in the face. After that he seemed to realize that there was no way he could win this fight in his current state, so he got up and quickly ran into the shadows. Once I knew he was gone, I gestured for the boy to stay where he was. I didn't want him to see how bad Samantha was hurt up close. I moved carefully to her side, so as not to disturb her. It was heard to tell where the less life threatening cuts were due to the flow of blood that came from just below her sternum. The stab was deep but I couldn't tell just how bad it was. I heard footstep joining the boy and I looked up to see that his parents stood beside him, their eyes showing the shock they felt when they saw the carnage. I made them stop where they stood. I took out my communications device and I got Lifeline on.

"So, what's up?" He asked over the video com. I moved my communications device so he could see Samantha. "Oh man. Bring me her to me. We might be able to save her if you hurry." I turned it back so he could see me and I nodded my head. "Be careful when you move her, we don't want to injure her any further." I shut off my communicator and quickly but gently picked Samantha up.

"Ugh." She moaned. She opened her eyes half way and turned her head weakly towards me. "They…know…only… Katana." She managed to get out before passing out again. So, that means she hadn't told them that she's Samantha. They only know her as Katana, their protector. I looked at her chest as she breathes became shallow and slow and as it became shallower and slower. I had to get her to Lifeline and fast.

Samantha P.O.V.

My eyes fluttered open to a white ceiling. I could feel a dull pain in my chest. I tried to sit up but I quickly fell back as fresh, hot searing pain laced its way through my chest.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Lifeline said from where he sat next to me. "You lost a lot of blood and the best the pain killers can do is dull the pain, not take it away."

"Ugh. What happened?"

"You don't remember what happened last night?"

"I wish I could forget." I moaned. "What I meant was what is the extent of the damage?"

"Well, you'll have a few nasty scars, but you were lucky. Storm Shadows blade barely missed your esophagus and your left lung. If he had been a few millimeters over on either side and I don't know if I could've helped you. As it is, you lost a lot of blood and there is no one who could've donated any blood to you, so if you had lost anymore, you would've been a gonner."

"Why wouldn't anybody be able to donate blood for a blood transfusion?" I asked.

"Because due to the experiment, the proteins in your blood that would've made you A positive and that kind of thing has changed and made it into a protein that no human or cat can donate. You have a one of a kind blood. You should've been more careful."

"Great, I'll keep that in mind that in mind that I shouldn't try to bleed when fighting psychos with swords." I said sarcastically.

"Good to know you've still got that spirit. Well, I'm going to let everyone know you're up. Oh yeah, your family has been moved to the base for safety, especially since you're going to be off duty for a bit." He said then he turned to leave.

"Just one question before you go."

"Yeah?" He said turning back to me.

"Has Cobra gotten a hold of any kids?"

He stood silently for a minute, reluctant to answer. "Yes, they have. " He said before walked through my see through, sliding doors and out of my hospital room. Now, before you start saying that they're not giving me privacy, the see through doors are there to help me. If something went wrong, they'd be able to see something was wrong. And the see through doors were only in the hospital hall and for the patent's rooms.

Jason P.O.V.

We all waited outside the infirmary, worried about our protector's fate. Lifeline had gone in hours ago, and had not come out since. My mom was wringing her hands with worry. For some reason, all of us had developed a strong attachment to her in the short time we knew her. It was as if my sister had come back.

Just then, Lifeline walked through the doors to the infirmary. We all got to our feet as soon as we saw him. "How's she Lifeline?" My dad asked, you felt so very ashamed of the fuss he made over what she looked like and the fact she stayed in my sister's room.

"She's going to live, but she's going to be sore and weak for a while. She's awake now if you want to see her one at a time. If she has trouble breathing there's a breathing mask right next to her bed. The fact that the sword was close to her lung will make it hurt for her to breath. So who's going first?"

"I'll go." My father said. "I want to apologize for everything. I was just starting to understand why she did what she did when it came to Cobra."

"Of course, just don't get her emotional." My father went in and came out shortly afterwards, looking worried and concerned.

"Is she alright?" My mother asked. "I've never thought I would see her like this. Not even after she had that nightmare." He replied.

"What nightmare?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, she didn't want to tell me, but it was pretty bad. She shredded her sheets, accidentally scratched herself up pretty bad, and when I startled her awake, she scratched me by accident." He explained, lifting his shirt sleeve to show the still fresh scratches on his arm.

After that my mother went in, and came out the same way as my father, worried and concerned. No one had thought Katana could look that weak. It made me nervous when it was time for me to go visit her.

"Hello?" I called as I opened the door. Katana weakly turned her head towards me. I had to stifle a gasp at the sight of her. Her visible fur had been washed of blood, but her blanket covered only her mid-waist down so it revealed her bandaged chest that had blotches of blood all over it.

"Hey." She whispered when she saw me. "You can come in you know."

And with that I realized I was only half way through the door. "Oh, yeah." I said as I walked in. Then I sat down in the chair next to her bed. I looked at her and she seemed to look pretty exhausted. "You okay?" I asked her.

"Is that a trick question?" She asked. She tried to laugh but stopped when she grimaced in pain.

"I know, but you just look exhausted."

"Yeah, I seem to be tiring easily. It's nothing though. I'll just take a nap after you're done talking to me."

"I can wait if you need to rest now." I said hurriedly.

"No, no, you can stay. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. You nearly died!" I cried.

"So, I have nearly died before. I always pull through."

"Has it ever been this bad?"

"Yes, one time I didn't even get to defend myself. I was chained down onto an operating table hoping that the serum wouldn't kill me." She replied. "What the serum did to me was worse than killing me. It separated me from my family."

I thought for a moment before I said something totally reckless and something I totally would regret. "Death is the only thing that separates me and my sister. If I were going to kill myself now, I could see her again. We both believe in Jesus and God." I said.

"NO!" She cried and she snapped up into a sitting position, but then quickly collapsed with a gasp of pain back onto the bed, and a stain of fresh blood spread across her bandages. "No… don't even…think…that way." She managed to get out in between gasps. Then she began to spas out and her lips moved like a fish, begging for air.

I ran over to her bed, and unsure of what to do, I pressed a button on her bed remote that signal some medical personal. "What happened?" asked Lifeline as him, my parents, and some medical personal burst through the door. The medical personal strapped a breathing mask to her face, applied pressure to the bleeding, and gave her a shot, which I assumed was a sedative. As they were doing this, Lifeline bent down and asked me again, "What happened?"

I was sobbing now, afraid Katana was going to die because of me. "I don't know." I sobbed. "I just mentioned how death was the only thing that separated me and my sister and she started flipping out." Katana was now still and her breathing was steady thanks to the breathing mask. Lifeline nodded as if he understood what I was talking about, and he looked at Katana with concern.

"Jason," he said sternly. "Don't you ever think that way, much less mention it to Katana."

"Why?" I asked, sniffling as I began to settle down.

"Katana has had similar thoughts, and by similar, I mean suicidal. You see, what happened to her all those years ago, destroyed her perfect life. She had nothing to fight for, until she realized Cobra would do the same or similar things to other people they kidnap, so she decided she'd be their instead of killing herself. She'd feel devastated if one of the people she tried to protect did something she couldn't protect them from." Explained Lifeline. "Now, if you've had those thoughts, you should tell someone. It just can't be Katana."

"Katana isn't her real name, is it?" My father asked.

"No, it isn't." Lifeline responded with a mournful shake of his head.

"What is her real name?" I asked.

"I don't have the right to tell you. Only Katana has the right to tell you."

"Can you at least tell us how old she is?" My mother asked. This question had bugged her since she first met Katana. Lifeline thought for a minute then he said,

"Sure, why not. She's sixteen." He replied calmly. "SIXTEEN?!" My mother exclaimed, and then she quieted down when she heard Katana groan in her sleep.

"How could the army, even a special division, have such a young girl in their ranks? Legally, I mean."

"Unfortunately, that is classified information Mrs. Callaway. And the only person who has the current authorization to tell you is lying on that bed." He replied as he gestured towards the limp form on the hospital bed.

"She certainly has a lot of secrets." My father commented.

"And most of them are better off staying a secret." Said a tall, blond man as he walked through the door.

"Sergeant Duke Hauser, nice to see you again, but we must really stop meeting under such unfortunate circumstances." My father greeted the man and shook his hand.

"Indeed." The man agreed. "What happened in here? I was told that there was a lot of commotion going on in here." He said, looking at the medical personal that surrounded Katana.

"Jason just started talking about a sensitive subject and Katana had a panic attack. We have everything under control and Jason has learned his lesson." Lifeline replied. And then he turned to towards a nurse and asked, "What's her status?"

"We've got her breathing back to normal, and her pulse is back to normal." She replied.

"What about her injuries?"

"She ripped a few stitches and caused some bleeding, but we've stopped the bleeding and we're just waiting for your permission to repair the ripped stitches." A male nurse replied.

"Nothing major?"

"No, and the sedative will keep her asleep for four to five hours."

"Good. Now, Mrs. Callaway, Mr. Callaway, and Jason, I must request that you leave while we repair the stitches. We'll let you know when you can visit her again."

My family left and the Joes directed us to our rooms. The Joes hat showed us to our rooms, I believe were named, or codenamed, Scarlet and Dusty. "She'll be fine." Dusty commented after he kept glancing at our worried voices. "In the short time we've known her we've learned that nothing can keep her down for long. She'll be back on her feet in no time, just you wait and see."

"You've only known her for a short time?" I asked. I didn't think the Joes had just recently recruited her. Scarlet gave Dusty a mean look, but Dusty was ignorant of it.

"Yeah, she's only been one of us for about six months or so." Then Scarlet gave him a sharp elbow to the stomach and Dusty realized his mistake, whatever that was. All I could think is that the human cat hybrid that was our protector was getting more and more mysterious by the minute. Every time we got an answer, another question would appear. Would we ever find out the true story?


	7. Chapter 7: Rising to the Challenge

**Me: I do not own G.I. Joe.**

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Chapter 7: Rising to the Challenge

Cobra Commander P.O.V.

I rubbed my temples impatiently as I waited for Storm Shadow to return with the boy, assuming he and his ninja gang were able to subdue Samantha. Soon the white ninja stood before me, empty handed. "Cobra Commander-" He began.

"Don't tell me a sixteen year old girl has managed to beat you again!" I snapped.

"No sir." He said a little timidly. "She was not the one to beat me in battle this time." He paused, waiting for permission to go on.

"Oh, please do explain further." I hissed.

"The ambush was executed perfectly. Samantha had become exhausted after fighting so many of my students and was no match for me and I was able to deal the final blow when she had been momentarily distracted, but before I could grab the boy, Snake Eyes jumps in to defend him. I was exhausted myself from the final fight Samantha had put up in desperate hopes to protect her brother, so I could not fight him alone. I had to retreat." He explained.

"You said "final blow", did you not?" I asked.

"I did. There was no way Samantha could survive that blow. When I left she was still breathing, but the blood loss was too great. No creature could have survived that much blood loss." He reported.

"Not even a super serum soldier?" I questioned. I knew that Samantha's blood type was unique and that if she lost to much, it would be impossible to find her a proper blood donor.

"Not even a super serum soldier." He replied.

Worries over having Samantha on the loose instantly vanished. She could cause us no harm from the grave. She couldn't hack into our systems any more or kill any more of my men. She was the only outsider that knew how to get into our systems undetected. She could do whatever she wanted like delete files or place a virus and we wouldn't know until we came across it. I had nightmares of what Samantha could do if she remain alive and kicking. But now she was out of the way, my plans could continue.

"Excellent. Then I will count this mission as a success." I hissed as I narrowed my eyes evilly.

Samantha P.O.V.

I was finally able to sit up on my own without to much pain. Right now I am currently sitting up with my food tray across my lap, blowing my clam chowder before eating it. I had not received a visit from my family since my panic attack. I hope I hadn't scared them off. I sat there with a worried grimace across my face and a spoonful of clam chowder half way to my mouth. And of course, that's the moment the over protective Lifeline decided to walk in.

"Are you okay Samantha?" He asked, mistaking my grimace of worry for a grimace of pain. He quickly ran over to the side of my bed and started checking my vitals.

"I'm fine, Lifeline" I said trying to shove him away, but I did not have the strength to do so yet. "I'm fine." I repeated. "I'm just worried that I scared off my family when I had a panic attack."

"You didn't." He calmly told me. "I just don't want them to accidentally excite you again."

"They won't excite me again! As long as they stay off the subject of suicide, I'm fine!" I protested. "I want to see them Lifeline. I have only seen them when I spied on my old home. I haven't physically talked to them in years!"

"What about when they were under your protection?"

"That doesn't count! They were in danger and we never actually got a conversation where there wasn't the threat that I could end up fighting Cobra on their front door step at any second! I want a conversation where there isn't a chance that end up being ruined by Cobra!" I mean, I know Cobra could figure out where this base is at any second but it's not like I am any condition to fight them and my family certainly doesn't have the experience or the ability to fight Cobra." I continued determinedly.

"Fine. I'll let them come in and visit you-"

"Yes!"

"But only after you finish your soup."

"Yes sir." I agreed and quickly ate my soup and I finished my soup before Lifeline was done checking the machines. "Can you get them when you're done checking those machines?"

"You're done already?" He asked looking surprise.

"Yep." I replied.

"The area around your esophagus must be healing up better than I predicted if you can eat that fast." He stated. "How's the breathing?"

"Still hurts when I take deep breaths." I replied.

"That's to be expected. The tissue around the lung tends to take longer to heal. Which is one of the reason why not many people that have something wrong with their lung have a low survival rate. Luckily for you, it wasn't your lung and just some of the tissue surrounding it."

"Yeah. So can you get them now?" I asked again.

"Yep. I just finished with the machinery and it looks like you might be up and walking in a few weeks."

"Awesome! Then I can get back to whooping Cobra but!"

"No."

"What? What do you mean no?"

"Just because you'll be up and walking doesn't mean you'll be back on duty. Walking will be very draining on you when you first start. You won't be able to go back on duty for another month at least. And you'll require General Hawk's permission before you can go back on duty." He explained.

"That's just great." I grumbled. "My family?" I prompted him.

"Oh yeah! I'll go get them now." He said as he quickly walked to go get my family.

Jason P.O.V.

I was playing Phase 10 with my mom and dad when someone knocked on the door. "It unlocked!" My dad called. "You can come in!"

And with that Lifeline opened the door and popped his helmet protected head in. "After a thorough conversation with Katana, I have agreed to let you visit her." He announced.

"But I thought you were worried about us getting her excited?" My dad questioned.

"I was, but Katana assured me that the only reason she had a panic attack was only because suicide was mentioned and that nothing else will send her into another fit." He said nervously as he tugged at his collar.

"Are you sure it's okay?" My mother asked. It's not like we didn't want to see Katana, we just didn't want to put her in a worse condition then she already was.

"It's okay, and Katana has been quite stubborn on receiving a visit from you three." He replied and then he disappeared, leaving us to find Katana. I carefully observed the walls as we walked towards her room. There were red alarm levers about every thirty feet. I was nervous. My last visit with Katana didn't go well and I was worried I would send her into another panic attack, and that had been two weeks ago. I hadn't been serious about committing suicide, I know my sister wouldn't have wanted me to do that, but it was the truth. If I did die, I would be reunited with my sister.

When we approached her room, I was able to see through the clear doors that Katana was sitting up and alert. Her chest was still just covered in bandages, but these were not drenched in blood. She appeared to be looking for something and a smile lit up on her face when her eyes landed on us. When we entered her room she greeted us with a cat fang smile. "Hi! I have been waiting for awhile to finally receive a visit from you guys. It turns out Lifeline was keeping you away because he was worried you would excite me and send me into another panic attack." She greeted us and looked a bit mad when she mentioned why we had not been to visit her.

"Hi." my mother greeted. "So, how are you feeling?"

"Pretty good. Considering I was nearly run through by a sword two weeks ago. I was finally able to sit up without assistance today."

"You just started today?" My father asked, sounding concerned.

"Yeah, he's saying that I'm making faster progress then he thought I would. I should be walking in a couple of weeks."

"That's great! Are you going to say anything, honey?" My mom asked nudging me forward.

"Does it hurt?" I asked looking at he her chest that was heavily wrapped in bandages.

"Jason!" My father scolded.

"No, no, it's quite alright." She said. "It's hurts a little but I have pain killer, so it doesn't hurt as much as it should. How you doing?"

"Fine."

Once we were reassured multiple times that she was fine, we actually had a decent conversation. But we had to leave once we noticed she was getting tired. She tried to hide it, but it was kind of obvious when she was tired when she released a huge yawn. But it was obvious that she didn't blame me for what happened to her, so I felt more than relieved and my conscious was cleared.


End file.
